Forest Girl
by MadMadchen
Summary: When Legolas finds an elleth on his way to Rivendell, what will happen? LegolasxOC
1. First Meetings

Birds; that was all the noise there was in the forest. Legolas quite enjoyed that, actually. No footsteps and no enemies. Enemies had been far too abundant these days, at least in his opinion.

"Are you ready, Legolas? We must head out soon," one of the elves accompanying him to Rivendell said.

"Yes, of course," Legolas replied before mounting a horse borrowed from his father's stables. The journey was quiet until they stopped for a small break to allow their stiff backs and legs to rest. The forest was still very quiet but he could not shake the feeling of being watched. All of a sudden, there was a loud _snap_, like a small limb breaking from a tree. Legolas and his men rushed to the sound, two with their bows drawn. It wasn't long before they reached the fallen limb and saw a most unusual sight.

It was an elleth with hair as dark as night and large, leaf-colored eyes that darted from one elve's face to the next, untrustingly. Even stranger were the pants and tunic she was wearing, for if they had not seen that she had the chest and hips of an elleth, they would have thought her an elve.

"What is your name?" Legolas asked, assuming she wasn't a threat, as she was completely unarmed.

"Why should I tell a stranger who has his men's bows drawn and pointed at me? I have no reason and no intention of telling you anything. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you to your business if you'll leave me to mine," she snapped. When she had finished speaking, she hurriedly pushed the branch off of herself and took to the trees, leaping from one to the next with amazing speed and grace.

"That explains the pants," one of the elves joked. One laughed and other looked at him, disgusted with his joke about an elleth, no matter how masculine.

"Come, we must follow her, it is not safe in the woods anymore," Legolas said before following the path she had taken, except with even greater speed. He could hear the occasional rustle of leaves or small groan of the impact she made on a branch. He glanced behind and saw none of his men following.

'Suit yourselves, there's nothing to be afraid of in the trees though,' he thought, still going at full speed. He wasn't paying much attention to where he was going so when he came to a break in the trees, he missed it and tumbled into a small creek. He yelled out slightly at the sudden loss of footing and at the cold shock of the water. When he came to his senses, mere seconds later, he heard a tinkling laugh from one of the trees on the opposite side of the creek. It was the raven-haired elleth.

"Okay, I give. Since you seem so set on getting my name, I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours first," she giggled.

"My name is Legolas Greenleaf," he replied.

"Sisal is at your service. I couldn't tell you my last name, as I don't know it myself," she said happily.

"How could you not know your own last name?" Legolas asked. 'What a queer girl, but she seems harmless enough.'

"I have no memory of my parents or any other family; I was have lived with the animals in this forest for as long as i remember and I was probably only a young adult when I came to live here. I have hardly ever seen another thing that travels upon two legs, let alone another that speaks the same tongue as me. I don't know how I even know how to communicate with you now but I must have learned when I was with other elves," she chortled. "You look so silly, sitting there in the creek. Come out before you catch cold or something."

"Why are you so friendly now? Weren't you hostile just moments ago?"

"Well, right now you are alone and we are on equal ground."

"Yet I have a weapon and you don't."

"Are you so sure about that?" she said, suddenly becoming icy and cool. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the way he held himself. He had stood up and was now standing on the bank right below her perch.

"I do not see one around you," he said, studying her as well. He did not see an obvious weapon and if she had one hidden, he could injure or kill her before she even had time to draw it. Of course, he would feel bad, killing a creature as beautiful and mysterious as her.

"Typical, even though you are an elve, you, being raised by other elves, still don't know about every single trick the forest has," she smirked. He could feel something wrapping itself around his waist and looked down to see that, without his noticing, a long, thin tree root had had crawled up his leg and around him. "With one thought or word to this tree, I could have you injured beyond mending. So, if you please put all your weapons on that rock there your hands in the air afterwards."

He did as he was told and she lightly hopped down from her place of temporary rest to land on the balls of her feet in front of him. She quickly patted her hands over him, checking for hidden weapons. When she found none, the root released him.

"Thank you, that was most uncomfortable," he smiled. She still seemed a bit on guard but was a bit calmer after he had disposed of his weapons.

"Where are you headed? The woods are not as safe as they once were so you are not simply going on an evening ride, especially with armed men," she inquired, looking straight into his eyes. He swallowed slightly. Never before had a woman looked into his eyes that deeply. He felt as though she were searching his soul.

"We are going to Rivendell, we have business there, that is our own," he said, breaking their eye contact.

"Come on, who would I tell, the trees or the birds?" Sisal laughed.

"We are going to a meeting that will probably take us on a long quest, at least that's what father told me," Legolas sighed.

"Then I will come with you, if you'll have a lonely forest girl?" the green eyes of the speaker danced with light, wonder, and, astonishingly, a pleading gleam. Legolas thought about it for a second. It could prove useful to have such a companion; after all, she could talk to plants without effort and probably animals too.

"How do I know you would not burden me and whomever I am with?"

"The trees, though inanimate at most times, hear everything, even thoughts. They spend long nights, conversing to each other with their roots entwined. I hear the secrets they whisper to the animals, sometimes even directly to me. The animals speak of what they sense in the air, of someone's true intentions. I hear them as well. If you will have me, I will teach you the secrets long forgotten by your ancestors that no book or scroll in any library you will find in Middle Earth can. They too could once hear a tree or deer's voice without so much as a second thought."

Legolas nodded, agreeing with her before gathering his weapons and signaling her to follow him. She did and soon they were back with his men.

"This is Sisal Windwalker; she is from this forest and will be of great use to us. She is hence forth a part of our party," Legolas said in a commanding tone, slightly guarding the elleth from the prying eyes of the elves. Sisal gave the back of his head a funny look. 'Where did he get Windwalker?'

"What use will she be without a horse, bow, or sword?" one asked. The other two nodded.

"I have a horse, and as for a weapon, I have the forest and my wits," Sisal spat, stepping out from behind Legolas. The men looked at her as if she were crazy, even Legolas cocked an eyebrow when she spoke of a horse. She gave a short but beautiful bird-like call and a beautiful elvish horse came cantering towards her a few moments later. It was almost completely black, no, ebony with only a small white circle right between its liquid brown eyes. "This is Taman."

"You did not mention a horse before. How did you get him?" Legolas asked, suddenly unsure of his judgment.

"The same way I got these clothes. I had to steal from living or dead travelers," Sisal said, looking calmly at him.

"But that is against every moral the elves have!" another of the men gasped.

"And living with animals my whole life, I have no need for morals. I have to get what I can by either stealing or claiming it. When you live alone in a forest, you learn things and see things that most do not," the elleth said, looking at him with the iciest eyes in Middle Earth.

"Well, we should get on our way, mount your horses everyone," Legolas ordered. Everyone did as asked and soon they were on their way to Rivendell.

~~Time Skip~~

"Ah, my rear hurts! I've never ridden so long before," Sisal cried as she hopped off Taman. She wobbled a bit before falling right on her bottom and crying out in pain. Legolas chuckled.

"How can you be so sore? It wasn't that long."

"We rode for five hours, nonstop, and I had a horse's spine bumping my ass the whole time," she huffed, picking herself up and dusting off. Sisal looked around her for the first time. "Whoa, this place is beautiful."

"Welcome to Rivendell."

* * *

**A/N**

**What do my OC's Look like?**

**Well, you tell me! I am holding a contest that will last until I get tired of waiting (which may be soon, I get impatient easily). Whoever draws them closest to the image I have in my head, or whomever's looks best, will get a shout-out at the end of each chapter of that particular story. It doesn't have to be the main OC, just your favorite. Send you submissions to me through DeviantArt. (Search for Bunnyhugger91)**

**Also, this chapter was edited after a comment (that has been removed in a blind rage that was completely out of line) and I now have a Beta to help prevent anything else. Welcome, _Arhani 'Hanny' Daforcena,_ to the team!**


	2. The Journey Begins

"_Welcome to Rivendell"_

Sisal was led to a room, for the odd looking people and other elves had urgent matters to attend to and she was not allowed to enter. When she was left alone, she snuck out of the room and asked the trees for Legolas' position in the fortress that blended so well with the forest. She ended up at a small courtyard with a gazebo like structure. There sat the four sunshine-haired elves from before along with two other dirt-haired elves. There were nine people there as well, but they had very queer appearances. There were five that almost looked like elves, but were rugged and did not have pointed ears. There were three that looked like the others but were shorter and all had long, thick tendrils of hair on their faces. Then there was one who was even shorter but had the young face of an elve, but large, hairy feet and oddly shaped ears. There were three of the first odd creature, one of the second and third, plus Legolas standing before the majestic looking dirt-haired elve. Three more of the short, big-footed creatures sprang up. They all shouted something about not being left behind.

"Legolas has promised me a quest, so I shall join you as well," Sisal proclaimed calmly as she hopped up and onto the structure. The people around gasped, excluding Legolas and his men.

"A woman, let alone a very young woman, on a quest? It isn't done!" the medium height creature exclaimed.

"I am completely capable of doing things that aren't usually done. An elleth can hold her own and care for herself. I don't know of your females, but as for me, this stands true," Sisal said haughtily.

"What is your name and from where do you come?" the majestic elve asked.

"My name is Sisal and I-" she started but was cut off.

"She is my companion, Sisal Windwalker. She came with my men and me from Mirkwood," he said, shooting her a glance that told her to keep her mouth shut.

"I see. Then, the ten of you will be called the Fellowship of the Ring. Go and rest, for you have a long journey ahead of you."

~~ Time Skip ~~

"Oh, Taman, I am sorry but you must stay here. I swear we will meet again, my friend," Sisal sighed, burying her face into his neck. Taman nickered softly and nudged her foot with his hoof, assuring her that he also knew they would meet again. She had been outfitted with a light bow and sword, as well as a quiver with many arrows. A small sigh caught her attention. She jerked herself away from the large stallion and looked to where the sound had come from. Taman shied slightly and she instinctively put a comforting hand on his thick neck.

"I am sorry to have startled you, Sisal. How are you so sure you will meet the horse again?" Legolas asked quietly.

"He is a mearah, as well as part elven horse. He will live a long life, as will I. I refuse to die before I see him again. He is my best and only friend."

"You can discount me so easily as your friend? I am certainly not your foe," Legolas defended. They had been in Rivendell for a few months, preparing for their journey and he thought that the daily rides they went on had brought them closer. He didn't want to admit it, but he was inevitably drawn to the hauntingly beautiful elleth. When she spoke, she met the eyes of the person directly and her voice rose and fell as if she were singing. When she rode, her body moved with her mount and an expression of pure bliss settled on her face. When she fought (she had been training with Legolas and Aragorn) her eyes flickered with green fire. When she learned to read and write with Elrond, Arwen, and sometimes Legolas, her eyes scanned the page and soaked up everything while her hands moved to reveal magical, looping words.

"I did not know a Prince would want a humble forest girl as a friend. I only thought you were being kind to a fellow elve. I thank you for thinking I did not discount you. Does this mean we are friends?" she asked innocently, batting her long, thick eyelashes playfully.

"Yes, this does mean we are friends," Legolas smiled. She grinned and quickly slung her sack over her shoulder.

"Come, mellon {friend} we mustn't make our company wait!" she giggled, gently grasping his hand and leading him towards the place they were to meet what she now understood were four hobbits, two men, a wizard, a dwarf, and themselves. Legolas blushed lightly at the contact, though she had often softly tugged on his hand when he would stare into space on their picnics. He did not want to admit it, but he had always been imagining the nights of their upcoming adventures. Never before had an elleth held his attention so quickly and managed to hold it, as he was over two thousand years of age so he most definitely was not still an innocent. Aragorn approached them from behind.

"Legolas, Im mendaer o codi sar ser {I suggest you hide that blush}" Aragon whispered in his ear, so Sisal could not possibly hear, as they neared the gates. Legolas nodded quickly and took a deep breath as he tried to push the blood boiling under his cheeks down. Sisal's hand shook lightly, as did her shoulders.

"Why, milord, you were blushing?" she giggled. He opened his mouth, eyes wide, before looking away and shaking his head. He would not show weakness to this elleth, no matter how fair. She would think it silly that someone who was his age was blushing about some elleth, probably not even a hundred years of age. They let their hands drop from each other's, as if on cue, as they approached the rest of the fellowship.

Soon they were on their way out of Rivendell and within two nights, Legolas found that he had become quite fond of the light-footed elleth. She had snuck behind him many a time. When she had, she had always gently covered his eyes and waited for him to say her name. He tried not to take it seriously; after all she had probably hardly ever interacted with another person so it should be natural for her to latch on to him and try to interact with him almost non-stop. While he was amused and enjoyed her company, he had to admit that having a girl with him made it hard for him to concentrate on the task at hand. She seemed to understand this and when he tried to tune her out for a second or two, she would withdraw and talk to the birds, sending them ahead to search for dangers. She had just finished speaking to a robin when Legolas decided to approach her.

"Sisal, why do you keep sending scouts ahead? I understand that you're just trying to help, but Boromir thinks that you don't trust our skills or us," he whispered in her ear. His chest was just barely brushing her back. She shivered slightly as his breath hit the back of her ear.

"You can tell him that I don't trust him. In fact, the only one here I trust is you," she said, trying to keep her voice strong. It wavered slightly at their closeness but he didn't seem to notice. At least she hoped he didn't because he might think her weak.

He had noticed but he didn't give any indication. He wasn't sure what to think of it. He hoped it was in a good way because he was touching her but he thought she wasn't enjoying it so he moved away. Sisal's heart dropped when he left but she tried not to let it eat at her. She stopped sending scouts and went to apologize to Boromir.

"Hello, I just wanted to say that I am sorry that you think I don't trust your abilities. I just grew bored of all the walking and decided I might as well do something to help," she sighed, bowing her head to him.

"I guess it's fine that you were just trying to help. Thank you for your apology," he said stiffly. With that over with, Sisal went to talk to the other man, Aragorn. She had grown quite fond of him and liked to listen to him speak in his soothing voice. He had told her many stories of his life and she was in the mood to hear another.

A/N

I used a translator for the Elvish parts so don't complain about them, or else! Apparently, before Sisal left her family she learned both English and Elvish but did not learn how to write. Oopsie on my part but if you're willing to let it slide then so am I.

Review please, or else Sisal may find a lion to send after you!


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